ALBUM REVIEW: CATHAL COUGHLAN – SONG OF CO-AKLAN

“I could listen to Cathal Coughlan sing the phone book” said DJ John Peel many years ago, and he wasn’t wrong. Having done numerous Peel sessions over the years in his former bands Microdisney and Fatima Mansions, Coughlan’s distinctively rich vocals won the hearts of many. Fast forward to 2021 and Coughlan’s vocals still propel […]
They may have been part of the Creation Records scene in the early 90’s but The Telescopes are a band who have led the way in psychedelic swirling indie for over thirty years. Now very much the solo project of Stephen Lawrie, The Telescopes have a new album on the horizon, ‘Songs Of Love And […]

INTERVIEW: THE TELESCOPES

ALBUM REVIEW: THE KILLS – LITTLE BASTARDS

As a happy accident of this devastating, pandemic situation, Domino Records’ boss Laurence Bell came up with the wonderful idea of gathering The Kills’ B sides and rarities in a double album, aptly titled “Little Bastards”: A bunch of 20 lost, hidden-in-digital-platforms gems that the British-American duo released between 2002-09.  All tracks have been remastered by […]
“Hello I’m Johnny Cash” sings Bill Callahan as the opening line on ‘Pigeons’ the first track on his new album ‘Gold Record’. Perhaps a cheeky nod to those who have noted that over the years Bill Callahan has slowly transitioned from indie rock quirkiness with his Smog output into  more mellowed, yet no less acerbic, […]
Bill Callahan Gold Record

ALBUM REVIEW: BILL CALLAHAN – GOLD RECORD

A Certain Ratio Loco

ALBUM REVIEW: A CERTAIN RATIO – LOCO

Which band can claim to have had The Beastie Boys at their debut NYC gig, Madonna supporting them in the early 80s, and also labelled ‘that jazz band from Wythenshawe’? Welcome back, A Certain Ratio.  I used to listen to ACR on the long bus journey from Wythenshawe to Altrincham on my Walkman (yes I […]
The second album can always be a challenging experience for any artist or group, but for The Aces they make it seem so easy. Coming off the back of their well-received first album ‘My Heart Felt Volcanic’ and a tour supporting 5 Seconds of Summer, they continue their streak of creating infectious pop songs. The […]

ALBUM REVIEW: THE ACES – UNDER MY INFLUENCE

ALBUM REVIEW: A A WILLIAMS – FOREVER BLUE

In a world in a current flux of damage and unaware of how to mend itself, perhaps it’s forgotten what pain ‘actually’ feels like? We have the comforting wet cloth and band aid that is a new release. Though the majority of us are stuck in a confusing landscape that seems to have less clue […]
‘Breathe Deep’ is the highly anticipated debut album from Oscar Jerome who is part of London’s burgeoning nu-jazz scene. Now, before we continue, don’t let the term, jazz, put you off. For anyone who has been following how the scene has developed over the last few years you’ll know that Jerome and many of his […]

ALBUM REVIEW: OSCAR JEROME – BREATHE DEEP

ALBUM REVIEW: THE DEARS – LOVERS ROCK

The band who put the drama into indie rock are back with their eighth album. The big sounding orchestral backings are in place as are the soothing melodies, yet the explosive riffs and uplifting choruses are never far way either. The Montreal band led by husband and wife duo of Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak […]
In the year of 2020, seeing a release by a band called Drain is just oh-so relatable. With the future of new releases facing its own dilemmas, it’s time to plough through every new release, in hope one is going to stick with me. After my first listen through I discovered that my face ached! […]

ALBUM REVIEW: DRAIN – CALIFORNIA CURSED